07 Jun Social media tip #2

So you now have a business Facebook page.. now what?

1. Know Facebook’s Page policies

Violating Facebook’s terms and guidelines can get your Page or brand permanently banned. Take the time to get to know Facebook Page Guidelines and stay on top of changes.

2. Create Page guidelines for your community

Creating and publicly posting guidelines for your own Facebook community is a great way to make sure that participants know what kind of content is acceptable on your brand’s Page.

Your guidelines should not stop people from expressing unfavourable opinions about your brand. Rather, they should aim to promote good behaviour and ensure that your Page is compliant with industry and marketing codes of conduct.

Publish your guidelines on the ‘About’ section of your Page. Your community manager should make sure that the guidelines are consistently and fairly administered.

3. Be authentic and consistent

For posts, comments and responses maintain a tone that rings true for your brand and its philosophy. Also be consistent with the frequency of your posts.

4. Have a strategy

Linda Reid of Hausmann Communications says that “the brands that benefit most from Facebook are those that are clear on what they want to achieve and have a strategy designed to get them there.”

So, think about what you want to accomplish with Facebook and develop a straightforward strategy to achieving it.

5. Have a crisis management plan

As your Facebook community grows, issues can arise. Put together a plan for dealing with problems, so you’re ready before it happens.

6. Monitor and engage your Facebook community

Pay close attention to what’s going on your Facebook Page. In the words of Ben Birchall, formerly of Clemenger BBDO.

“Brands benefit just by being there. Being present. Being approachable. Being able to listen to consumers. Being able to eavesdrop on competitors.”

It follows that daily monitoring is a must and you should respond quickly to any fan queries.